Bridgewater grabbed the QB competition lead away from Lock with two touchdowns in two series. The key was a fourth-down, 35-yard completion to Jeudy.
SEATTLE — This was not going to be won by default, as so many of the Broncos’ quarterback competitions have been in the past.
Teddy Bridgewater had to win it. Seemingly trailing Drew Lock entering the Broncos’ second preseason game here Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks, Bridgewater not only re-took the lead, but perhaps stole the job for good.
Bridgewater started with the mostly No. 1 offense and engineered two drives. Both resulted in touchdowns and the Broncos went on to clobber the Seattle Seahawks, 30-3 in the preseason game on a comfortable late-August night at Lumen Field.
Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said he is close to making a decision on his starting quarterback.
“I am because the calendar is closing in on us,” Fangio said. “It won’t be tomorrow. The earliest it would be would be early next week, or we would let it go another week. Because these guys, both of them, Drew and Teddy have done well, as you guys have seen and they’ve made it a hard decision.
“We’ll give it thorough thought. We’ve been discussing it with the coaches, with George (Paton, the general manager) all along. We’ll continue to do that.”
The Seahawks played a handful of defensive starters but most of their top players, including quarterback Russell Wilson, didn’t play.
The Broncos had 9 of their 11 defensive starters play two shutout series and 9 of their 11 offensive starters played during Denver’s two touchdown drives. One of thoser starters may well become Bridgewater. (Only Von Miller and Josey Jewell on defense, and Courtland Sutton and Melvin Gordon III on offense were the starters who didn’t play. Calvin Anderson started at right tackle while Bobby Massie).
The first drive for Bridgewater was set up by a Justin Simmons interception against Seahawks’ reserve quarterback Alex McGough, giving Denver the ball at the Seattle 45. Simmons, the Broncos’ safety on a $15.25 million-a-year contract that is now the second-richest among NFL safeties behind Seattle’s Jamal Adams, had three interceptions during a training camp practice last week.
On third down, Bridgewater underthrew KJ Hamler streaking down the right sideline but Fangio gave him another chance to convert on fourth-and-5 from the Seattle 40.
Despite heavy pass pressure from the outside edges, Bridgewater stepped up in the pocket and drilled a 35-yard completion to Jerry Jeudy who was cutting across the middle.
“You have the clock in your head and you sense the pocket,” Bridgewater said. “I like to tell the tackles, I like when you force the defensive ends to do certain things and I’ll just step up in the pocket and create a lane so I can escape or give myself more time to pass the ball down the field.
“Jerry did a great job of winning his route against man coverage. The offensive line did a great job protecting and we were able to convert.”
First and goal at the 5. On third and goal from the 2, Bridgewater slipped a pass to Hamler for a touchdown.
The second drive was more difficult as the Broncos started at their own 13. Bridgewater methodically moved the Broncos with his biggest completion a 22-yard strike to tight end Eric Saubert to set up first and goal from 1. A fumble by running back Javonte Williams was recovered by Broncos’ left guard Dalton Risner for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
It was a 16-play drive that took nearly 10 minutes of game clock. Classic Teddy.
“Teddy played very well there—moved the ball, couple really nice throws, managed the pocket well, stepped up,” Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told 9News’ sideline reporter Rod Mackey at halftime. “I thought he looked really good.”
Bridgewater came off the bench last week at Minnesota and followed Lock’s terrific start with a field goal and touchdown drive. In terms of the QB competition, that’s climbing out of a hole.
In two preseason games, Bridgewater had four series that resulted in three touchdowns and a field goal. He completed 16 of 19 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions and a 141.0 rating. He can’t do much more to win a competition.
With the Broncos opening the season at the 6-10 New York Giants, at 1-15 Jacksonville and home against the 2-14 New York Jets, will Fangio name Steady Teddy as his starting quarterback.
“It’s pretty damn close I think, don’t you?” Fangio said.
Well, um. No. It would appear Bridgewater has done all he can to win it. In Lock’s defense, he too has played well enough to earn the starting job.
He was sacked twice in his first series in the second quarter against the Seahawks, although he did bounce back with a nice 2-minute drive to set up a Brandon McManus’ 39-yard field goal. The key play was a third-and-6 strike from Lock to Diontae Spencer for 19 yards.
Lock was terrific last week in his start at Minnesota, completing 5 of 7 for 151 yards and two touchdowns — one on an 80-yard beauty to Hamler.
Against Seattle, Lock was 9 of 14 but for only 80 yards. He helped guide the Broncos on a short drive that resulted in a 52-yard McManus field goal to open the second half. McManus later added his third field goal from 33 yards.
And No. 3 quarterback Brett Rypien came through with an 11-yard touchdown pass to undrafted rookie tight end Shaun Beyer late in the fourth quarter.
Combined with their 33-6 victory against the Vikings last week, the Broncos have now outscored their opponents 63-9 through 7 1/2 preseason quarters.
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